A staff member in Hebei Province recently discovered a group of ancient trees called carpinus during a field survey. The trees are estimated to be around 200 years old or more.

"The total area of the ancient tree group is about 10 hectares, which is equivalent to the area of 14 soccer fields. The average tree height is about 12 meters, the thickest tree is 300 centimeters, and the age of the trees is about 200 years or more," said Yao Qingliang, director of the Natural Forest Protection Center of Hebei Province.

"According to the data on forest resources in Hebei Province in 2018, the total area of carpinus is 53,000 hectares, all of which are natural forests. The young forest accounts for 99.9 percent, so it is so precious to find the ancient tree group this time," Yao added.

Carpinus is an ancient tree species that is resistant to drought and soil infertility. Studies have shown that the carpinus has been growing in Beijing since the middle and late Eocene and has been widely present in north China since the Miocene.

Natural forest resources in Hebei Province account for more than half of the province's forest resource area and play an important role in the construction of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ecological environment support zone.

"The discovery of this large group of carpinus is not only of positive significance for the study of local geological changes and forest culture but also of great value for guiding the scientific protection and restoration of natural forest resources in Hebei," Yao said.

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